Citric

check icon Optimal Result: 24 - 1174 mmol/mol creatinine.

Citric acid, cis-aconitic acid, and isocitric acid are the first three metabolites in the Krebs Citric Acid energy production cycle, which operates in the mitochondria of your cells. 

Citrate, cis-Aconitate (and Isocitrate) are involved in both energy production and removal of toxic ammonia.

High levels can indicate ammonia toxicity. Chronic loss of these valuable compounds can contribute to loss of organ reserve and disturbances in neurological function. If they are low they can indicate a need for essential amino acids, especially arginine.

What does it mean if your Citric result is too high?

Elevated urinary citrate levels when:

Diet:

  • High alkaline diet
  • High carbohydrate intake

  • High citrate/citrus intake

  • High (4-5 servings/day) dairy intake

    • May decrease hippurate

  • High-dose vitamin D

Endocrine disorders:

  • High estrogen levels (birth control or estrogen replacement therapies)

  • Parathyroid extract or hyperparathyroidism

Renal function:

  • Renal tubular reabsorption defects

  • Alkalosis, dietary alkali loads

  • Hypercalcuria

Toxic exposures:

  • Lead

---------------------

HIGH LEVELS of citrate may occur when there are nutritional enzyme inhibitions of the breakdown pathways, inherited low-activity enzymes are present, if there are high levels of its precursor (pyruvate, malate) or if there are higher levels of its downstream products (cis-aconitate). High levels of citrate may be damaging, and can increase oxidative stress, nitric oxide (nitrosative stress), and pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. Endocrine or kidney disorders may increase citrate levels, as may dietary citrate intakes (citrus, dairy) or highly alkaline diets. Toxic metals such as lead may also increase levels.

  • Aconitase converts citrate into cis-aconitate and isocitrate; if inhibited then citrate will be high, but cis-aconitate and isocitrate will be low. Aconitase is the CAC enzyme most vulnerable to oxidative stress. It requires iron-sulfur clusters as co-factors. The synthesis of the iron- sulfur clusters can be supported with B2, B3, B6, zinc, and glutathione.
    • Increased levels of methylmalonate, quinolinate and pyroglutamate, with decreased levels of cis-aconitate and isocitrate, may indicate poor antioxidant status. Antioxidant supports may include CoQ10, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamins C and E, curcumin, resveratrol, etc. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidant compounds.
  • If citrate, cis-aconitate and isocitrate appear imbalanced, also consider iron deficiency or anemia because the rate of conversion is related to iron status.
  • Citrate levels may also increase if citrate cannot be broken down outside the mitochondria in the cytoplasm. This cellular breakdown may be supported with magnesium and the use of a plant-based, low-fat diet.

  • Lead exposure increases oxidative stress and can inhibit aconitase. Lead can leach out of bones during and after andropause or menopause. Lead solder was not banned in housing construction until about 1990 and may still be found in drinking water.

All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.

What does it mean if your Citric result is too low?

DECREASED urinary citrate if:

Acidosis, acid loads

Diet

  • High sodium intake
  • Animal protein excess
  • Very low-calorie diets

Medical disorders

  • Beta-oxidation disorders (liver)

  • Gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea, malabsorption)

  • Chronic fatigue disorder

  • Kidney disease

    • Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)

      • Decreased urinary citrate, beta-hydroxyisovalerate

    • Chronic renal failure

    • Decreased GFR

      • May decrease urinary citrate, cis-aconitate, homovanillate

    • Menopause

Medications:

  • Acetazolamide, ethacrinic acid, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, thiazide diuretics (if not potassium-supplemented). Check all medications with a pharmacist.

Toxic exposure:

  • Arsenic

-------------------

LOW LEVELS of citrate may occur if there are nutritional enzyme inhibitions or inherited low-activity enzyme variants on the synthesis pathway, or if there are low levels of precursor (pyruvate) available. Low-calorie diets or problems with the precursor pathways may decrease citrate levels. Lower levels of citrate may also occur if there are problems with the liver’s fatty acid beta-oxidation pathway. Low levels of citrate have been associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. Urinary tract infections may decrease urinary citrate and increase lactate and succinate excretion.

  • If citrate levels are low, but pyruvate and lactate levels are higher, there may be an inherited low-activity enzyme of the rate-limiting enzyme citrate synthase or inhibition due to
    toxic exposures.

    • Arsenic or other toxic metals may prevent the conversion of pyruvate into citrate. Arsenic may be found in well water, in factory-farmed poultry, alcoholic beverages and as a pesticide contaminant in conventionally-farmed fruits and vegetables. Arsenic exposure can increase alpha-ketoglutarate and pyruvate, while citrate, succinate, and pyroglutamate levels decrease.

    • Inherited low-activity citrate synthase variants may require more dietary citrate (lemonade, citrus fruits, etc.).

  • The beta-oxidation pathway in the liver is the primary fatty acid breakdown pathway. Inhibition of the pathway can increase adipate and suberate, and may also increase ethylmalonate and ethylsuccinate levels.

  • Chronic fatigue may increase pyruvate and decrease citrate, cis-aconitate, isocitrate, malate.

Laboratories

Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place

We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.

lab corp logo
genova diagnostics logo
quest diagnostics logo
dutch test logo
doctors data logo
vibrant america logo
diagnostic solutions logo
zrt laboratory logo
the great plains laboratory logo
cyrex laboratories logo
spectracell logo

Pricing Table

decoration

Personal plans

$15/ month

Complete Plan

Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Begin with first report entered
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

$250/ once

Unlimited Account

Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Receive 10 reports entered for you
  • Skip the $15/month subscription — no recurring payments ever

$45/ month

Pro Monthly

Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track lab results for multiple clients
  • Customize reference ranges per client
  • Export lab histories and reports
  • Begin with first report entered by us
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

About membership

What's included in a Healthmatters membership

microscope icon Import Lab Results from Any Source

person icon See Your Health Timeline

book icon Understand What Your Results Mean

textbook icon

textbook icon Visualize Your Results

folder icon

folder icon

card icon Securely Share With Anyone You Trust

Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story

What Healthmatters Members Are Saying

5 stars rating

I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with  any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.

Anthony

Unlimited Plan Member since 2021

5 stars rating

What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!

Karin

Advanced Plan Member since 2020

5 stars rating

As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!

Paul

Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.

  • Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
  • Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.

With a Healthmatters account, you can:

  • Upload lab reports from any lab
  • View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
  • Track trends and monitor changes over time
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export and share your full lab history
  • Access your results anytime, from any device

Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

shield icon

We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

gdpr compliance image hipaa compliance image